We love an underdog story. Think about that 15-seed basketball team in March Madness that shocks the nation by upsetting a 2-seed and keeps winning. It’s thrilling. But what about the reverse? What happens when the team expected to win—the one with all the talent, confidence, and history—falls apart and loses to someone they underestimated?

That’s what happened to Israel.

They thought they were untouchable. God’s chosen people. The royal priesthood. A holy nation. But over time, they stopped listening to God. They ignored His commands. They and their leaders became arrogant, unjust, and disobedient. And eventually, they lost everything. This devastating turn is what we call The Exile.

The Downward Spiral

After entering the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership, Israel was meant to flourish by trusting God. But the people kept turning away. Judges (what they called their early leaders) came and went—some faithful, some not. Eventually, they demanded a king, and though God warned them, He gave them what they wanted.

At first, there were a few good kings, like David and Hezekiah. But most were deeply flawed. Out of 40 kings over 300 years, only 8 led with humility and goodness. The rest led Israel further from God.

Prophets like Jeremiah warned the people and their leaders: If you don’t return to God, disaster will come. But the people didn’t listen.

Eventually, it did come. First, the northern kingdom (Israel) was taken by Assyria. Then the southern kingdom (Judah) fell to Babylon. The temple was destroyed, and the people were taken into captivity far from home. It was the lowest point in their history.

Hope in the Middle of the Mess

But even in exile, God had a message. It came through the prophet Jeremiah:

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters… Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city… Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
—Jeremiah 29:5–7

Wait—what?

God tells His people to bless their enemies? To stay in Babylon? To settle down and help their captors flourish?

Yes. Because the people of God don’t exist for themselves. They exist for the good of others.

Even in exile, God’s plan hadn’t changed. He still wanted His people to live with humility, trust His ways, and love their neighbors—even if those neighbors were their enemies.

And then God makes this beautiful promise:

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’”
—Jeremiah 29:11–12

God hadn’t abandoned them. But He was using their time-out to shape them—to humble them, to mature them, to draw them back to Himself.

Our Role in the World Today

Just like Israel, we’re tempted to think God’s blessings are only for us. That if we’re faithful, life should be easy. But that’s not always how God works.

Sometimes our obedience won’t benefit us directly—but it will bless others. That’s the point.

We’re called to humility. To obey God even when it’s hard. To seek peace even when we don’t feel like it. To love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us (Matthew 5:44). Why? Because the world needs to see what God’s love looks like in action.

When we live like this—trusting God, loving others, and putting aside pride—we help restore the vision God had all along: Eden (heaven on earth).